2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Ames, IA vs Portage, MI

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Highlights
- Household income in Portage, is 27% more than it is in Ames and is 0% below the National Average.
- Ames unemployment rate is 2.7%.
- Portage unemployment rate is 4.7%.
 Ames, IAPortage, MIUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.7%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.0%1.6%
 Future Job Growth34.0%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock4.3%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$29,347  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$68,755$69,021
 Family Median Income$96,791  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Ames, IAPortage, MIUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock7.6%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K5.6%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock7.6%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K7.8%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock9.3%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.0%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock12.3%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K10.1%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock18.3%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K5.3%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock7.4%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Ames, IAPortage, MIUnited States
 Management, business, finance11.4%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock8.6%6.5%
 Community, social services1.3%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.9%1.2%
 Education, library16.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.9%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology4.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock2.5%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.2%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock5.4%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.0%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.7%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support17.7%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.4%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair4.3%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock14.3%13.1%
Reviews for Ames    12 Reviews

Over 13 years ago

Hello, I am in San Jose Ca, but am seriously thinking of moving somewhere much slower for a better quality of living. I've just turned 59, so I'm kinda preparing for  More

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Over 13 years ago

Like every other city Ames has both good and bad points. The good points are: low cost of living, very friendly people, lots of outdoor activities and quite a few events  More

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Ames enjoys a high quality of life at a very affordable cost, substantially lower than many other communities. The presence of Iowa State University, a large (28,000  More

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Reviews for Portage    3 Reviews

I'm just writing because I think that the people who are in my opinion bashing Kalamazoo, really don't know anything about it. I have vacationed in much larger cities,  More

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Before I moved to Portage in 2007, I didn't have any real breathing problems. I had a minor case of hay fever. I moved here and I am stuck inside most of the summer  More

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Over 20 years ago

Portage is a nice palce to live and raise a family. I don't think it would be a good place for a single  More

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